South doesn’t impress, but Hayes Valley does

South in the SF Jazz Center. John Storey/Special to The Chronicle 2013

I went back and visited Charles Phan’s South in the San Francisco Jazz Center. I must tell you that what Michael Bauer wrote some months ago is still true; they obviously didn’t read the review. The food isn’t any better and the service is maybe even worse.

I tried the fried chicken and sides of collard greens and red beans and rice. Beans should never be served unless they’re soaked long enough so that there is no resistance when you pierce them with a fork. I come from the Bean Capitol of Texas — Mineola — and these weren’t right. In Mineola they had a bean factory, and farmers would send their beans there to be processed, bagged and shipped. So one does become familiar with beans when living there. Well, this chef has not been to Mineola.

The chicken wasn’t as good as the other times I’ve had it. It used to be distinctive with its cornmeal batter crust, but now it’s practically indistinguishable from Kentucky Fried Chicken, and not nearly a good as Town Hall or 1300 on Fillmore. In addition, the watery collards weren’t heated through. (The shrimp and grits dish, according to the people who tried it, was good.)

Noir Lounge in Hayes Valley. Photo: The Chronicle/ John Storey

And then the service: it appears that the staff is without previous experience, but it was on a night when there was no performance, so it may be that the restaurant relies on the center’s entertainment.

The weather was perfect, so after dinner a few of us strolled away from there to see what else was going on in Hayes Valley. I’ve got tell you: Hayes Valley is now almost a replica of Chestnut Street, including in terms of the number of dining establishments. They are all local businesses, and the restaurants and bars were all just as busy as in the Marina.

We ended up in a bar called NoirLounge and it was as close in its physical appearance to a fern bars of the 1970, but without the ferns. The designers used over-stuffed furniture; not quite antique, just old. None of the table and chairs matched, either. It was a charming place.

I’m going to go back during the daylight hours and see what’s up with that area when it’s less crowded.